animal longevity

[rh71]

What is it about pets that make them unable to live almost as long as humans ? Take dogs for example. 15 years or so... are their organs that much more inferior ? What is the biological reason ?

 

[bockchow]

ok from the title i thought you were going with a whole different angle on this one.

 

[Vic]

Faster metabolism I think.

 

[edro]

I think it has something to do with intelligence... but I dunno what.

Then again, Octopus are quite smart and they only live a few years...

(not intelligence as in, we are smarter, so we live longer...)

I mean, that animals with higher intelligence have evolved to live longer... or something like that.

 

[rh71]

- they get more rest
- possibly even more exercise than *some* of us
- eat healthier (for the most part)

I'm beginning to think they die of boredom or something...

 

[Richdog]

Obviously it's metabolism. It has nothing to do with intelligence. A Galapagos tortoise lives for over a hundred years and they are thick as sh|t. Incidentally, that also have a SLOW metabolism.🙂:beer:

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: rh71
I'm beginning to think they die of boredom or something...

No, because outdoor pets (especially cats) live shorter lives.

And intelligence can't have anything to do with it because the animal with the best longevity on earth, the turtle/tortoise (120+ years average), has a very low intelligence.

 

[rh71]

Not that I believe in HIM, but God planned it well.. can you imagine all these dogs living for so long... their population is out of control as it is.

<-- still wishes his dog can live longer...

 

[Richdog]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: rh71
I'm beginning to think they die of boredom or something...

No, because outdoor pets (especially cats) live shorter lives.

And intelligence can't have anything to do with it because the animal with the best longevity on earth, the turtle/tortoise (120+ years average), has a very low intelligence.

Is there a parrot in the room?
🙂

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Richdog
Is there a parrot in the room?
🙂

Heh... see my post above yours 🙂

On that topic, parrots live about 35 years IIRC 😉

 

[ZaneNBK]

I'm betting it has more to do with were these animals originally evolved and how prolific they are. For instance birds like Parrots live long lifestyles but only thrive in limited environments while animals like cats, dogs (and more extreme, insects) can survive in many different environments. The shorter the lifespan of the creature the faster they evolve.

If you can't survive through intelligence then you have to remain viable through ongoing evolution and that's where the short life-cycle comes into play. The most abundant animals on the planet (insects) also have the shortest life-spans.

 

[IBuyUFO]

Maybe it has something to do with their aging process. Animals do age faster than human beings and begin to reproduce at an earlier age. Maybe we are the ones who are not in the norm.

 

[Spoooon]

I think the answer is faster metabolism. There is a correlation between size and lifespan. And with larger sized animals (mammals at least), you typically see slower metabolisms.